Scottish Executive

Access to Information

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many formal requests for information were made in 2002 under the Code of Practice on Access to Scottish Executive Information and how many such requests were rejected and for what reasons.

Mr Jim Wallace: Details of formal requests for information received under the Code of Practice on Access to Scottish Executive Information in 2002 are currently being collated and will be published in the normal way as soon as practicable.

Air Services

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what its definition is of "value for public money" in respect of the Glasgow to Barra air link, as referred to by the Deputy Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning in the debate on the Glasgow to Barra air link on 15 January 2003 ( Official Report , c 17011).

Lewis Macdonald: Value for public money is defined by means of a financial appraisal which takes account of the benefits of the Glasgow to Barra air service compared to its associated costs. This must be placed in the context of overall transport provision to Barra and the wider constraints of public expenditure funding.

Bridges

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has regarding studies being carried out into the care and maintenance of the Forth Bridge and who commissioned, and is paying, for any such studies.

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive who will be responsible for funding any remedial works on the Forth Bridge in addition to normal care and maintenance.

Lewis Macdonald: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1O-6078 on 12 December 2002, which is available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at:

  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/search.htm.

Children with Disabilities

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how the £600,000 recently announced by the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport for improved opportunities to participate in sports for children and young people with special needs will be allocated.

Mike Watson: The £600,000 will be paid into the Scottish Physical Recreation Fund and managed by it specifically for Scottish Disability Sport (SDS). This will enable SDS to provide the specialist support needed to ensure that children and young people with special needs can participate fully in the Active Primary Schools and Schools Sports Development Officer Programmes, which will attract significant additional resources over the next three years.

Children with Disabilities

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of any existing funding, or of the £600,000 recently announced by the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport, for improved opportunities to participate in sports for children and young people with special needs will be allocated to local authority and independent specialist schools run by charitable organisations.

Mike Watson: None. I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-34419 today. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

Children with Disabilities

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Active Communities Initiative implementation plan will consider the need for outdoor play facilities for children with disabilities.

Ms Margaret Curran: The Active Communities Initiative is our strategy for supporting voluntary and community action within local communities across Scotland. It has four key objectives:

  to bring about positive attitudes to volunteering;

  to locate volunteering at the heart of policy and practice;

  to broaden the range of people involved, and

  to increase the number of people involved.

  Any voluntary organisation with proposals that advance and support these overall objectives can seek financial assistance from the Scottish Executive.

  The provision of outdoor play facilities for children with disabilities is a matter for local agencies, for example, local authorities.

Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) reports have been made to and (b) proceedings have been taken by procurators fiscal for offences under section 27(1) of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 and how many convictions were obtained in each year since 1997.

Mrs Elish Angiolini: This information is not held centrally at present, but action is currently being taking to improve how this type of information is recorded. It is hoped that it should be possible to complete the improvements to our record keeping systems in the coming months.

Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) reports have been made to and (b) proceedings have been taken by procurators fiscal for alleged breach of bail conditions by committing a further offence under section 27(3) of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 and how many convictions were obtained that took account of such further offences in each year since 1997.

Mrs Elish Angiolini: This information is not held centrally at present, but action is currently being taking to improve how this type of information is recorded. It is hoped that it should be possible to complete the improvements to our record keeping systems in the coming months.

Education

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive which departments, other than its Education Department and its Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Department, have issued written guidance, guidelines and official circulars that are still operational in respect of pre-school centres, primary schools, secondary schools, special schools and tertiary education institutes.

Nicol Stephen: The issue of material of the kind you have asked about is not subject to central logging. It is not possible, therefore, to provide a comprehensive list of all departmental sources of such material.

Education

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many registered secondary school supply teachers there were in each local authority area in each year since 1995, broken down by subject.

Nicol Stephen: Information is available from 1995 to 1999 for most local authorities from local authority returns to a survey of teachers employed centrally or mainly outwith schools. The survey stopped in 1999. A summary of results has been placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 26841).

Education

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many classroom assistants were working in state schools in each academic year since 1999.

Nicol Stephen: Information on the number of classroom assistants employed in state schools in each academic year from 1999 is not held centrally. However, information on the number of classroom assistants employed through the Excellence Fund for each financial year since 1999 has previously been provided in answer to questions S1W-14460 on 15 May 2001 and S1W-32263 on 9 January 2003. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

Enterprise

Brian Adam (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what concerns it has about the impact on businesses of increases in public and product liability insurance costs and what representations it has made to the insurance industry and HM Treasury on this matter.

Iain Gray: Statutory requirements affecting liability insurance costs are a reserved matter and therefore responsibility rests with the UK Government. The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the UK Government on a wide range of issues, including this.

Enterprise

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will encourage and fund colleges to offer business management courses to people with a skill who wish to set up their own business.

Iain Gray: As the largest provider of lifelong learning in Scotland, the further education sector has a vital role in helping to deliver many of the Executive’s policy priorities, including those to re-establish Scotland’s entrepreneurial drive and to increase the number of new businesses and growing businesses. In considering matters of demand and supply, including the provision of skills to people wanting to set up their own business, the Scottish Executive encourages colleges to be vibrant and responsive.

  The Scottish Executive does not fund further education colleges directly. That is the responsibility of the Scottish Further Education Funding Council (SFEFC). Under the terms of the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 1992, colleges of further education are independent bodies responsible for determining, among other things, their own curriculum. Whether a course of a specific type is available at a particular college is therefore a matter for the board of management of the college concerned.

  In addition, general support is available to individuals wishing to start a business from the enterprise networks.

Environment

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1O-6514 by Malcolm Chisholm on 27 February 2003, whether it will now ask the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) to institute an inquiry into the operations of Eurocare Environmental Services Ltd, in the light of the company's recent prosecution and conviction in England for breaches of environmental legislation relating to waste disposal

Ross Finnie: No. Operational decisions on monitoring and enforcement action are for SEPA.

Fisheries

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any measures have been introduced in order to avoid displacement of fishing effort from the white fish sector to nephrops fisheries; if so, what measures have been introduced; if not what the reasons are for this position and what measures will be introduced, and when it first received representations on this matter.

Ross Finnie: In the short-term, it is our intention to target forthcoming transitional support of up to £10 million through a variety of selection criteria and conditions of award. One such condition will require white fish vessels restricted to 15 days per month (or the equivalent) to tie up rather than pursue additional fishing opportunities (for example on nephrops). In the long term, we plan to consult on other options such as restrictive licences.

Foot-and-Mouth Disease

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the effects of the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease will be with regard to job and economic losses in (a) the Scottish Borders, (b) Dumfries and Galloway and (c) Scotland over the next five years.

Ross Finnie: This information is not yet available. The Economic Impact Assessment Group has commissioned external consultants to provide an assessment of the outbreak and that work is in its final stages.

  In addition to a Scotland total, the assessment will quantify the economic impact of the outbreak on sectors and regions of Scotland. In line with the definitions used during the outbreak, Scotland will be divided geographically into three categories: South of Scotland, central belt and north of the central belt. As such, separate information on Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders will not be available.

  Estimates of long-term impacts will be included.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any potentially harmful effects arising from the cumulative effect of botox injections and, if so, what the evidence is for this position.

Malcolm Chisholm: Information about the medicinal use of botox is contained in the Botox Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC). The Botox SPC includes a report of peripheral neuropathy in a patient after receiving four sets of botox injections over an 11-week period.

Health

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish its health improvement challenge, as referred to in chapter 2 of Partnership for Care: Scotland’s Health White Pape r.

Malcolm Chisholm: Improving Health in Scotland – the Challenge  was launched today at the third Healthy Scotland Convention held in Edinburgh. I also refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-34705 today. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Health

Janis Hughes (Glasgow Rutherglen) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Health Improvement Challenge paper, referred to in Partnership for Care: Scotland’s Health White Paper , will be published.

Malcolm Chisholm: The paper entitled Improving Health in Scotland – the Challenge is published today. It provides a framework for action over the coming 12 to 15 months. It indicates a role for the Scottish Executive, NHS boards, local government, voluntary sector, private sector and the public to work in partnership to improve Scotland’s health and narrow the gap between the most and least affluent communities. Today at the Healthy Scotland Convention, the third in a series, around 300 people will gather to celebrate the success of efforts to date and plan further action to improve Scotland’s health record.

  Copies of Improving Health in Scotland - the Challenge have been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 26922).

Local Government

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it holds on how many complaints have been made to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman or its predecessor by individuals about their treatment by local authorities in each of the last five years for which figures are available, what percentage of such complaints in that period resulted in the conduct of a formal investigation; in what percentage of formal investigations a finding of maladministration by a local authority was made; how many of the ombudsman’s staff engaged in the investigation of complaints of maladministration by local authorities in each of those years, and what funds were made available in each of those years for the investigation of complaints of maladministration by local authorities.

Peter Peacock: The information requested is not held centrally.

  Details of complaints made against local authorities to the former Commissioner for Local Administration in Scotland during the years 1999-2000, 2000-01 and 2001-02 are contained in the office-holder’s relevant annual reports, copies of which are available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. numbers 16263, 21048 and 26250). Information requested that is not contained in those reports may be available from the office of the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman.

Prison Service

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what uses it is considering for the site of the young offenders facility at HM Prison Glenochil once the facility has closed.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  It is intended to develop the site in accordance with the HM Prison Glenochil Development Plan, which includes construction of replacement prisoner accommodation.

Prison Service

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is contractually obliged to hand over land currently occupied by the young offenders facility at HM Prison Glenochil to any contractor once the facility has closed and, if so, to whom.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  No.

Prison Service

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-33583 by Mr Jim Wallace on 10 February 2003, how many prisoners were detained in each prison in each year given in that answer; how many of these were detained in connection with illegal drugs offences, and how many were detained solely or mainly relating to the possession and/or the supply of cannabis.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The data on receptions are held in such a way that it is not possible to provide an answer to each element of the question.

  However, the following two tables show the number of people detained on 30 June of 2000 and 2001 and the number detained in connection with illegal drugs offences. As the warrants only record the fact that illegal drugs were involved, it is not possible to identify where these offences related to the possession or supply of cannabis.

  Table 1

  Total Prison Population by Establishment on 30 June

  


Establishment 
  

2000 
  

2001 
  



HM Prison Aberdeen 
  

155 
  

215 
  



HM Prison Barlinnie 
  

975 
  

1,061 
  



HM Prison Castle Huntly 
  

141 
  

128 
  



HM Prison and YOI Cornton Vale 
  

187 
  

234 
  



HM Prison and YOI Dumfries 
  

160 
  

127 
  



HM Prison Edinburgh 
  

660 
  

731 
  



HM Prison and YOI Glenochil 
  

603 
  

575 
  



HM Prison Greenock 
  

293 
  

328 
  



HM Prison Inverness 
  

112 
  

138 
  



HM Prison Kilmarnock 
  

497 
  

548 
  



HM Prison Low Moss 
  

313 
  

362 
  



HM Prison Noranside 
  

128 
  

96 
  



HM Prison Perth 
  

426 
  

481 
  



HM Prison Peterhead 
  

289 
  

288 
  



HM YOI Polmont 
  

389 
  

439 
  



HM Prison Shotts 
  

514 
  

509 
  



HM Prison Zeist 
  

2 
  

1 
  



All 
  

5,844 
  

6,261 
  



  Table 2

  Prison Population by Establishment on 30 June

  Where "Drugs" was the Main Crime/Offence

  


Establishment 
  

2000 
  

2001 
  



HM Prison Aberdeen 
  

25 
  

42 
  



HM Prison Barlinnie 
  

141 
  

120 
  



HM Prison Castle Huntly 
  

59 
  

50 
  



HM Prison and YOI Cornton Vale 
  

37 
  

55 
  



HM Prison and YOI Dumfries 
  

9 
  

3 
  



HM Prison Edinburgh 
  

65 
  

72 
  



HM Prison and YOI Glenochil 
  

93 
  

94 
  



HM Prison Greenock 
  

19 
  

10 
  



HM Prison Inverness 
  

15 
  

15 
  



HM Prison Kilmarnock 
  

88 
  

87 
  



HM Prison Low Moss 
  

38 
  

51 
  



HM Prison Noranside 
  

46 
  

28 
  



HM Prison Perth 
  

87 
  

92 
  



HM YOI Polmont 
  

20 
  

15 
  



HM Prison Shotts 
  

75 
  

97 
  



All 
  

817 
  

831

Public Transport

Mrs Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what the latest estimate is of the cost of tram systems for west, north and south-east Edinburgh.

Lewis Macdonald: An estimate of costs as at 30 September 2002 is contained in page 50 of the report A Vision for Edinburgh , by Transport Initiatives Edinburgh. A copy of the document is available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 26840).

Rail Services

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated administrative and related costs are of re-letting the passenger rail franchise.

Lewis Macdonald: In the period running from the beginning of the process until the date that the reletting is completed in 2004, costs are likely to have been incurred directly and indirectly by a range of parties, including the Scottish Executive, Strathclyde Passenger Transport Executive and Authority, the Strategic Rail Authority, each bidding company, and UK bodies.

  Commercial costs are not available and an estimate of the total administrative and related costs likely to be accrued by other parties could only be made at disproportionate cost.

Rail Services

Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what arrangements have been made to promote the rail service from Glasgow Queen Street Station to stations in Fife.

Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any signs displayed in Glasgow Queen Street Station advertising the rail service from that station to stations in Fife.

Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether tickets may be purchased on the platform at Glasgow Queen Street Station for passengers wishing to travel on the rail service to stations in Fife.

Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, at times of congestion at the ticket office in Glasgow Queen Street Station, passengers may buy tickets for the rail service to stations in Fife on the train and what the reasons are for the position on this matter.

Lewis Macdonald: This is an operational matter for ScotRail.

Rail Services

Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any special promotional rail fares are available for the service from Glasgow Queen Street Station to stations in Fife.

Lewis Macdonald: Special promotional rail fares are a commercial issue for ScotRail.

Rail Services

Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether books of advance tickets may be purchased for the rail service from Glasgow Queen Street Station to stations in Fife.

Lewis Macdonald: The sale of advance tickets is a commercial matter for ScotRail.

Rail Services

Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether passengers travelling on the rail service from Glasgow Queen Street to stations in Fife may purchase tickets on the train and what the reasons are for the position on this matter.

Lewis Macdonald: The sale of tickets on trains is an operational matter for ScotRail.

Roads

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether a local authority road can become part of the trunk road network and thereby be maintained by the Executive and, if so, what the process is for achieving this.

Lewis Macdonald: Trunking of local roads, or detrunking of parts of the existing network, is effected by means of an order made under section 5(2) of the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984. Significant changes were last made in 1996 following a major review and extensive consultation, associated with local government reorganisation.

Roads

Mrs Margaret Ewing (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much it has allocated to BEAR Scotland Ltd for road improvements in the Moray Council area in (a) 2002-03 and (b) 2003-04.

Lewis Macdonald: Allocations for trunk road improvements are not divided into council areas. It is possible in this case to estimate the expected spend on trunk road improvements in the Moray Council area in 2002-03 and 2003-04 at around £2.3 million and £0.8 million respectively.

Roads

Mrs Margaret Ewing (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much it has allocated to BEAR Scotland Ltd for road improvements to the A95 in (a) 2002-03 and (b) 2003-04.

Lewis Macdonald: The amount allocated for improvements to the A95 in 2002-03 was £2.8 million, and in 2003-04 is £3.0 million. It is estimated that by the end of April 2003, £3.5 million will have been spent on improvements over a 12-month period.

Sport

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how local groups can access funding for the provision of skateparks.

Dr Elaine Murray: Responsibility for the provision of recreational and leisure facilities is primarily a matter for local authorities. In December 2002, local authorities were notified of their Quality of Life funding over the next three financial years. This funding is expected to be used to reflect the shared central and local government priorities for improving the local environment and increasing opportunities for children and young people. This funding follows the success of the reallocation of £95 million of Executive funds in June 2002, which some local authorities chose to spend on skateparks.

  In addition to this, applications for the provision of such facilities can be made to sportscotland under the Lottery Sports Fund’s Sport Facilities Programme. Another possible funding route is the Awards for All Programme, though the maximum level of award is £5,000.

Teachers

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will ensure that the package of teachers' pay and conditions based on the McCrone Committee recommendations will enable schools to provide the necessary management for their work experience schemes.

Nicol Stephen: All the functions and duties required of the teaching profession are encompassed in the agreement A Teaching Profession for the 21st Century . The agreement does not affect the existing arrangements for the management of work experience for pupils.

Youth Crime

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many grants it has allocated under its Youth Crime Initiative.

Cathy Jamieson: We are making available £11.9 million over four years through the Youth Crime Prevention Fund. Thirty-four voluntary sector projects will be funded, widening the range of crime prevention activities tackling youth crime increasing the support available to victims and families. The Intensive Support Fund  will invest £9.2 million in 21 projects to enable local authorities and voluntary organisations to increase community-based supervision of young offenders and improve the transition back to the community from secure accommodation.

  £580,000 over three years has been allocated to Young Scot for a project which will strengthen links between young people and the police. The police themselves will receive £1 million to provide for a Scottish-wide application of restorative cautions and for the establishment of a central database of vulnerable children in Strathclyde.

  Significant additional resources have also been provided to local authorities to help them strengthen and expand local youth justice activity.

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Fair Trade

Susan Deacon (Edinburgh East and Musselburgh) (Lab): To ask the Presiding Officer what commitments the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) has given to ensure that fair trade products are provided at the new Parliament building at Holyrood.

Sir David Steel: The SPCB’s contract specification for catering services at Holyrood include the following requirements in relation to fair trade products.

  Fairly traded tea and coffee shall be served in all restaurants and for hospitality.

  The contractor shall actively research other fairly traded items for sale in the restaurants and consider options for beverage vending.

  A number of fair trade items will be included within proposed menus.

  A commitment to work with the SPCB to try to develop the product list and to encourage uptake of fair trade goods.

  The SPCB will ensure that consideration is given to the provision of fair trade products during the on-going contract negotiations and subsequent monitoring of the Holyrood catering service.